Direct Measurement of the Counterion Distribution Within Swollen Polyelectrolyte Films

Published

July 19, 2005

Author(s)

Vivek M. Prabhu, B D. Vogt, Wen-Li Wu, Eric K. Lin, Jack F. Douglas, Sushil K. Satija, D L. Goldfarb, H Ito

Abstract

The depth profile of the counterion concentration within thin polyelectrolyte films was measured in situ using contrast variant specular neutron reflectivity to characterize the initial swelling stage of the film dissolution.Wefind substantial counterion depletion near the substrate and enrichment near the periphery of the film extending into the solution. These observations challenge our understanding of the charge distribution in polyelectrolyte films and are important for understanding film dissolution in medical and technological applications.

Citation

Langmuir

Volume

21

Issue

15

Pub Type

Journals

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Local Download

Keywords

aqueous base, dissolution, lithography, nanotechnology, neutron reflectivity, photoresist, polyelectrolyte, swelling, thin film

Citation

Prabhu, V. , Vogt, B. , Wu, W. , Lin, E. , Douglas, J. , Satija, S. , Goldfarb, D. and Ito, H. (2005), Direct Measurement of the Counterion Distribution Within Swollen Polyelectrolyte Films, Langmuir, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=852397 (Accessed October 10, 2025)